Chelsea's under-fire manager Rafael Benítez hopes to get John Terry and Frank Lampard back and on his side

John Terry has been ruled out of Chelsea’s trip to Japan for the Fifa Club
World Cup and Frank Lampard is only fit enough for the bench at Sunderland
on Saturday; but interim manager Rafael Benítez has confirmed he has spent
time with both players in an effort to get their backing for his stuttering
new regime.

Two of a kind: John Terry and Frank Lampard are still very important to ChelseaPhoto: AFP/GETTY

As disclosed by The Daily Telegraph this week, Benítez believes building strong relationships with the two senior figures in the dressing room could be key in ensuring his unpopular spell as Chelsea’s interim manager does not end embarrassingly quickly.

Neither has been able to play under him so far, with Lampard recovering from a calf problem and Terry from a serious knee injury, leaving Chelsea’s team – who are 10 points adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester United – short of leadership on the field.

“I had a conversation with Frank and Terry as they were injured and we were spending time in the dressing room while the team was doing the warm-up. And we talked about the rivalry and the mentality,” said Benítez in reference to the Spaniard’s period at Liverpool, when he developed an intense rivalry with Chelsea.

“I had at this time a good mentality, I have at this time a winning mentality. They had and they have a winning mentality. That is positive. I think it will be better than being on different sides.”

Captain Terry will not be able to come to Chelsea’s rescue just yet; doctors have said flying to Japan would not be beneficial for his injured knee and Benítez admits: “He wanted to go and to help, but it’s better that he stays here. We don’t know when he will play. We have to wait and see how he reacts.”

But Lampard will be available at Sunderland on Saturday and it is clear Benítez sees him as crucial to his future plans.

“At least one important player is back because we need character, experience and numbers,” he said. “Frank is not scared when we are in possession so he can find players between the lines, can get into the box and score goals. He is a different midfielder to the others. Some of them can work, some can pass, some can do a little bit of everything. Frank, when he is in form, can make a difference.

“I think he has the ability and he can be important at set pieces as he has good delivery. He will not be a box-to-box like 10 years ago but he will be more important when we are in possession as he understands the game and what we have to do.”

Daniel Sturridge, who has been out with a hamstring injury, is not fit enough to face Sunderland on Saturday but may still travel to Japan. However Benítez admits he may need an extra striker when the January transfer window opens.

“It is not just the strikers it is every position. In a top side you have to keep an eye on every position and all good players. We will see what we can do. At the moment with Sturridge injured it is more difficult to find different solutions.”